TV best bets for the week of June 14
Sunday, June 14
“30 for 30: Long Gone Summer”
ESPN, 9 p.m.
In the summer of 1998, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa embarked on a historic chase of Roger Maris’ iconic record of 61 home runs in a single season. This “30 for 30” documentary recalls how seismic and emotional the story was, even as the legitimacy of McGwire and Sosa’s accomplishments would later be called into question. “Long Gone Summer” includes in-depth interviews with both McGwire and Sosa, who talk at length about the subject for the first time in over two decades.
“World War II: Race to Victory”
History, 9 p.m.
New miniseries
This three-part, six-hour documentary series marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day — the end of World War II in Europe — with a look at the race between Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to not only defeat Hitler and win the war, but also to gain power and an ideological stronghold in the world. It explores how the three superpowers those men led found themselves in an uneasy alliance fraught with power struggles, false promises and deadly suspicions of each other.
“Insecure”
HBO, 10:20 p.m.
Season finale
Season 4 of the Issa Rae-helmed comedy comes to an end. HBO has already renewed the series, saying, “We’re thrilled that Issa, Prentice (Penny) and the whole “Insecure” team will be getting back together for a fifth season. As we laugh and cringe with recognition, their stories make us all feel a little less alone in the world.”
Monday, June 15
“Generation Renovation: Lake House”
HGTV, 9 p.m.
New series
A picky, indecisive client who’s also a family member? Fun! This new renovation series documents designer Danielle Bryk’s journey to build a jaw-dropping vacation home with a low carbon footprint for her eco-minded sister and brother-in-law.
“Songland”
NBC, 10 p.m.
Season finale
Multiplatinum, eight-time Grammy- and American Music Award-winning R&B star Usher comes to “Songland” to hear unknown songwriters pitch their original material. Three of the most successful and sought-after writer-producers in music, Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean and Shane McAnally, produce the songwriters to creatively adapt their songs to perfectly fit the superstar artist. One song is chosen to be recorded by Usher and released for a global audience.
“Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project”
PBS, 10 p.m.
Activist Marion Stokes secretly recorded American television 24 hours a day from the late ’70s to 2012, creating an invaluable comprehensive archive of the media. Her 70,000 VHS tapes reveal how television shaped — and continues to shape — our world.
Tuesday, June 16
“Mae West: Dirty Blonde”
PBS, 8 p.m.
Dive into the life and career of groundbreaking writer, performer and subversive star Mae West. Over a career spanning eight decades, she broke boundaries and possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s.
“Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles”
Bravo, 9 p.m.
Season premiere
Sworn enemies Altman and Flagg team up and hit the road in hopes of landing a major listing in La Jolla. Tracy gets creative to sell a Hollywood Hills artists enclave. James and David hit the hiking trails of L.A. to garner interest in a historic bungalow.
“Frontline: “The Virus: What Went Wrong?”
PBS, 9:30 p.m.
As COVID-19 spread from Asia to the Middle East and Europe, why was the U.S. caught so unprepared for its arrival in this country? Despite repeated warnings of a potent contagion, America’s leaders failed to prepare and protect its citizens. Why did this happen and who is accountable?
Wednesday, June 17
The 100: “Welcome to Bardo”
The CW, 8 p.m.
As the final season continues, Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) gets to know a whole new world. Meanwhile, Murphy (Richard Harmon) and Emori (guest star Luisa d’Oliveira) play make-believe.
“Ultimate Tag”
Fox, 9 p.m.
More contestants enter the arena ready to outrun the Taggers in the new episode “Breaking All Records.”
“Prehistoric Road Trip”
PBS, 10 p.m.
New series
Science correspondent and YouTube sensation Emily Graslie takes an epic road trip through America’s dinosaur country, where she encounters creatures and ecosystems that uncover secrets of our planet’s past and answer questions about its future. In the first episode, “Welcome to Fossil Country,”she meets some of the planet’s earliest life-forms, from primitive bacteria to giant reptiles, and many surprising creatures in between.
Thursday, June 18
“Killer Couples”
Oxygen, 8 p.m.
Season premiere
The gripping true-crime series launches Season 14 with the case of Kelsey Berreth. In 2018, the Colorado mom went missing as her manipulative fiance was having a clandestine romance.
“Top Chef”
Bravo, 10 p.m.
Season finale
In an epic Italian showdown, the final three all-stars cook the meal of their lives in an effort to take home the ultimate title and prize. To win, they’ll need to impress not only the judges — Tom, Padma, Gail and Nilou Motamed — but also culinary superstars Mauro Colagreco, Clare Smyth, Marcus Samuelsson, Janice Wong, Tony Mantuano, eighth-generation Italian butcher Dario Cecchini and Food & Wine magazine’s Hunter Lewis. It’s a fight to the bitter end, but only one will finally be crowned Top Chef.
“Syfy Wire’s The Great Debate”
Syfy, 11 p.m.
New series
Las Vegas Academy grad Baron Vaughn (“Grace and Frankie”) hosts this series based on the popular Comic-Con event, in which a rotating panel of celebrities unleash their inner geeks to debate the most burning questions in sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comic books and related genres. A droid sidekick named DB-8 will be on hand to fact-check as panelists try to settle once and for all questions such as “Who’d be a worse boss — Darth Vader or the Joker?” before a live audience. Eight episodes that completed filming before the coronavirus pandemic shut down production will air.
Friday, June 19
“Father Soldier Son”
Netflix
This intimate documentary from The New York Times follows one military family over the course of 10 years in an intergenerational exploration of the meaning of sacrifice, purpose and American manhood in the aftermath of war.
“Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn”
HBO, 8 p.m.
Director Ivy Meeropol examines the life of the infamous attorney who prosecuted her grandparents, convicted spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, in the 1950s. With newly discovered archival material, the film traces Cohn’s career from his role in the McCarthy hearings to his death from AIDS in 1986.
“Directed by Nicholas Ray”
TCM, beginning at 5 p.m.
Influential film director Nicholas Ray is celebrated with three of his most memorable films. First up is his most famous work, “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), the classic drama about troubled suburban teens starring James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. Ray also developed the story for this film, which earned him his only Oscar nomination. The night continues with Ray’s first feature, the film noir “They Live by Night” (1949), and with another noir, “In a Lonely Place” (1950), which stars Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame.
Saturday, June 20
“Dad Food Weekend”
Food Network, 5 a.m.
Prep for your Father’s Day feast. Saturday’s six-hour marathon includes new episodes of “The Kitchen” — chef Jeff Mauro cooks with his dad — and “Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro.” Sunday’s batch has a new patty-melts-and-disco-fries installment of “Valerie’s Home Cooking.”
“Ford v Ferrari”
HBO, 8 p.m.
Based on a true story, this best picture nominee released last year stars Matt Damon as American race car designer Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale as British driver Ken Miles. In the 1960s, Shelby is hired by the Ford Motor Company to design a car that will beat the indomitable Ferrari at the Le Mans race in France. Is Shelby’s GT40 up to the task? Can he convince Ford that Miles is the right driver? And will this high-octane challenge change auto racing history? (Affirmative on that last one at least.)
“Love Under the Olive Tree”
Hallmark Channel, 9 p.m.
Nicole (Tori Anderson) has plans to expand her family’s Northern California olive oil business until childhood crush Jake Brandini (Benjamin Hollingsworth), heir apparent to the neighboring ranch and her biggest competitor, discovers the land Nicole wants to build on may belong to his family. When a local judge decides to resolve the dispute by awarding the land to the winner of the upcoming olive oil competition, the flames are further fanned, but Nicole and Jake begin to find common ground as the big competition looms.
